With greater than 50 years of offering cruisers with enjoyable ships, Carnival Cruise Line took benefit of the cruise trade’s greatest occasion to announce the names of its two new Excel-class ships, becoming a member of the fleet of 29 ships by 2028.
At a pre-Seatrade Cruise International occasion happening aboard Carnival Celebration in Miami, Florida, on April 6, 2025, Carnival Cruise Line’s President Christine Duffy made the massive reveal earlier than a gathering of invited cruise media insiders.
“We’re very excited as we speak to announce that our fourth Excel ship is coming in 2027,” mentioned Duffy.
“We’re persevering with with our naming conference, displaying the respect that we’ve got for these authentic Carnival Cruise Line ships. It’s being named Carnival Festivale,” she continued, additionally revealing the fifth vessel shall be Carnival Tropicale.
The 2 new builds, to be constructed on the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany and outfitted with liquified pure fuel (LNG) to cut back emissions like earlier Excel-class vessels, pays homage to the cruise line’s authentic ships with the identical names.
Initially, MS Festivale and MS Tropicale have been among the many first vessels to sail below the Carnival banner in 1977 and 1981, respectively.
In reality, the MS Tropicale was the very first new-build vessel designed particularly for Carnival Cruise Line and launched the world to its now-iconic whale-tail funnel.
Duffy, who’s celebrating 10 years as head of Carnival Cruise Line, is taken into account the mom of its Excel ships that debuted with Mardi Gras in 2021 and was adopted by Carnival Celebration in 2022 and Carnival Jubilee in 2023.
The brand-new 180,000-gross-ton Carnival Festivale and Carnival Tropicale will develop into the cruise line’s fourth and fifth Excel-class ships and can set sail in 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Duffy defined the primary of the sister ships can have a music focus and passengers can anticipate finding musical tributes all through the ship.
She additionally introduced that Carnival Festivale shall be crusing from Port Canaveral, Florida, which is able to then push Mardi Gras into brief cruise itineraries to the cruise line’s personal Celebration Key and Half Moon Cay locations.
Introducing Sunsation Level
In the course of the particular occasion, Carnival Cruise Line additionally introduced that its at-sea rollercoaster, BOLT Final Sea Coaster, is being changed on the newer Excel class ships with a brand-new outside exercise space to be known as Sunsation Level.
Though BOLT was a first-of-its-kind rollercoaster at sea that rapidly grew to become the function of the Final Playground zone when it was first launched on Mardi Gras, the cruise line is changing it on the newer vessels in favor of increasing its WaterWorks zone and offering extra leisure choices.
“These shall be three outside decks the place we proceed to have our mini golf, the ropes course, and all of the issues individuals like on the outside decks however an enlargement of what we’re going to name WaterWorks Extremely,” mentioned Duffy.
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She went on to elucidate that the expanded WaterWorks, famend for its waterslides, splash pads, and water dumping buckets, would be the largest aboard Carnival ships and can obtain 4 new water slides, household rafting, and an extra new arcade and video games space on every ship.
“We sail extra households and extra children than another cruise line,” added Duffy. “Sunsation Level goes to be over-the-top with actions and enjoyable for households and folks of all ages.”
Moreover, Sunsation Level will function night leisure on choose evenings.
Carnival Cruise Line teased that extra thrilling bulletins shall be made this week throughout Seatrade, the place Cruise Hive reporters would be the first to cross alongside extra reveals.
